The Challenge
by Carter 305
Summary: AU All Sora ever wanted was to be just like Riku, even of that meant travelling clear across the world and enlisting in the military. What he didn't expect was to become embroiled in a war that would reshape the world
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Hello, Hello, Hello! Welcome to my first fic on this account! For those interested, I used to go as Carter-Shiraz a couple of years ago, sadly that account is no longer active. However, rather than drudge up the past, I intend to make a fresh start and write some all new fiction on this account and who knows? I might just pick up my old stories again. For now please enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER :** Kingdom Hearts along with all associated characters, locations and storylines do not belong to me...but I do have cookies!

 **XXX**

 _Sora_

It was really his first time riding one of these Gummi Ships. All the same, Sora thought, running a hand through his perpetually tousled mass of spiky brown hair, it was something he could easily get used to.

Looking out of the round window, the young boy saw an endless mass of glittering stars against an endless blanket of inky blue. A pretty sight, even to someone as impartial to poetry as Sora was. The speed at which the stars were hurtling by was the only indication of just how fast the Gummi Ship was moving, for Sora felt no turbulence in his comfortable seat.

A loud _ding dong_ sounded through the ship.

" _Attention all passengers!"_ a squeaky voice came through the ship's intercom system. _"This is Captain Chip speaking. Arrival at Radiant Garden expected within ten minutes!"_

No sooner had the captain spoken, then the beauty of the night sky was replaced with the images of warm and sunny countryside. Looking out the window, Sora spied an emerald field of grass, peppered here and there with tall, imposing trees, standing almost as guards to the beauty of the land. What a change from the urban Twilight Town this would be!

At that moment, Sora was glad to be alone in the compartment, this way no one could see just how nervous he truly was. Butterflies churned in his stomach, and his heart was in his throat. He was finally at Radiant Garden, finally going to reunite with his friend.

It had been almost two years ago now. Riku…

His friend, his rival. The one who seemed to be better than Sora at pretty much everything the two had tried. Riku had left to join Garden as soon as he was eligible, leaving Sora alone with Kairi back at Twilight Town. Being younger, Sora had to wait for two extremely long years before he could follow, he wondered if Riku had ridden a Gummi Ship like this when he left.

Excitement outweighed nerves though, when the Gummi Ship finally flew into a long, tunnel-like steel structure that was obviously designed to break its speed. Sunlight disappeared, replaced by soft yellow panel lights which only served to illuminate the rounded steel walls surrounding the ship. The ship slowed to a stop near a large steel platform.

" _Attention all passengers! Gummi Ship has arrived at Radiant Garden. All passengers are requested to ensure all their luggage is accounted for before disembarking._

Sora leapt to his feet at the sound of the captain's squeaky voice. Eagerly, he siezed his trunk and made his way to the exit of the ship.

He heard a loud _hiss_ as the pressurised door opened, revealing the Radiant Garden Hangar. Sora supposed Radiant Garden got precious few recruits from Twilight Town. So far as he could tell, he was the only one of the small ship's four passengers to be enlisting.

Unlike the rest of the tunnel, the Hangar was brightly lit. Sora immediately noticed that the Gummi Ship he rode was dwarfed by several other models present in the vicinity.

Stepping out onto the platform, he saw a pretty, young, brunette girl with sparkling green eyes walk up to him. In her hands, she held a large card that read " _Sora Kuria"_

"Hello!" she greeted, smiling. "Sora Kuria I'm sure!"

Never one for shyness, Sora flashed her a dazzling smile that matched her own. "You betcha!"

The girl giggled. "Pleased to meet you!" she said, grabbing his hand. "My name's Aerith Gainsborough. I'm to be your guide to Radiant Garden. Think of me as your Orientation personnel!"

"Sounds great!" Sora said. "Where do we start?"

"Well, first of all, we need to take care of your luggage," Aerith explained, tossing her long braid over her shoulder. "Over there is a cart that will take it to your dorm ahead of you. Just make sure you have it labeled."

"Alright!" Sora replied cheerfully, glad that he had the foresight to write his name on his single piece of luggage.

"Alright! Usually I'd take you to your dorm and show you the place first, but your Gummi arrived late so we're gonna head over to the Training Centre first!" Aerith explained as the pair walked down the stairs and towards the exit.

"What's happening there?" Sora asked.

"Well, luckily for you guys, two of the higher ranked soldiers are putting on a live demonstration today," Aerith replied.

"Huh," Sora mused. "So am I the last to arrive?"

"Pretty much! We don't really get much recruits from Twilight Town see? So your ship had to be arranged last minute."

Sora's reply got lost in his throat as soon as the pair exited the Gummi Hangar and he looked upon Radiant Garden for the first time.

His breath was stolen by the colossal, white structure. All of Twilight Town would have taken up probably only half the space as the Garden. Its white walls were trimmed with reds, blues and gold and the soaring tower seemed to glow as if lit from within. Emerald green trees lined the neatly bricked path to the Garden itself and Sora could easily see more foliage and large sprawling recreational areas behind the walls.

Aerith smiled, watching him out of the corner of her eyes. "I had that same expression when I first saw it. Eight years later and this place still takes my breath away!"

"It's amazing!" Sora said, purposefully closing his mouth.

Aerith giggled. "I hate to break the spell, but I feel like I need to remind you that this is no playground. Remember, this is a military training ground!"

Sora looked at the girl. With her hair tied in a pink ribbon and her matching long dress, she seemed pretty out of place. "What about you? You don't look like a soldier."

He clamped his hand over his mouth. He never mastered the act of shutting his mouth.

Aerith only covered her mouth as she giggled. "You're right. Sadly, I'm not much of a fighter."

"So then, what are you doing here?" Sora asked, clasping his hands behind his head.

"Medic unit," Aerith answered. "I like to help people so I figured where better than here, right?"

"I guess," Sora said.

The pair soon reached the front gate. The complex was open aired, almost as if Garden was lovingly inviting all who came to enter. A long row of turnstiles spanned the length of the entrance.

Aerith swiftly removed an ID card from a pocket and swiped it to get them inside.

"As soon as the demonstration's over, I'll show you around," Aerith promised. "I'm sure you'll meet fellow first years over there as well!"

Sora nodded, still in awe of the place, his head twisted and turned so many times, Aerith was sure it would soon snap off.

Before long, they reached the Training Centre. This area of Garden had a noticeably darker tone. The walls were dark grey rather than the pearl white Sora had become used to. A sickly green colour appeared to dominate most of the area.

A tall man dressed in long crimson robes stood blocking the entrance, Sora could hardly make out his face beneath the large hat he wore. Emblazoned on the front of his robes were the neon blue Radiant Garden logo, along with the word "Faculty" beneath it in black.

Aerith saluted the man. Sora tried to copy the movement, but a sneer from the faculty told him that he had likely botched it up.

"Escorting a first year to the demonstration?" the faculty asked.

"Affirmative," Aerith replied in a clipped formal tone Sora had not yet heard before.

"You're late," the faculty continued in a deadpan voice. He fixed his eyes on Sora. "See that it does not become a habit, cadet!"

"Affirmative! " Sora said, puffing out his chest a bit to much. The result nearly had him falling over backwards. Aerith subtly nudged him back on balance. He gave her grateful smile as the faculty stepped aside.

Sora went for the large, steel double doora with a green neon "ENTRANCE" sign above it, but Aerith gripped his arm. "Not that way!" she said, instead steering him towards the viewing deck. "You won't be going in there for at least a few months!"

Withou further ado, Aerith led him into an elevator and pushed a button that took them up to the viewing deck. It was a large, spherical room with a transparent glass dome encasing it.

"The Training Centre is basically where students and soldiers come to test their skills," Aerith explained as they made their way to one end of room where several other people were gathering. "There are actual monsters kept in here, so its best not to come alone, although there are staff put on patrol to make sure there aren't any fatalities!"

Sora looked out of the window to see what looked to be a lush, tropical forest teeming with foliage of every colour and description.

"Each area is zoned off depending on how difficult the monsters are so that cadets don't actually go up against monsters they can't handle," Aerith continued as they reached the gathering.

A young woman with short blonde hair pulled into a bun came to meet them.

"Quistis!" Aerith greeted, saluting the woman, who returned the greeting with a warm smile. "Sora, this is Instructor Trepe. She usually handles Orientation and basic training."

"Oh? Pleased to meet you!" Sora said, extending his hand.

Instructor Trepe glanced at the offered hand. Aerith gave Sora a nudge.

"Oh...right," he stammered, before saluting.

The elder woman smiled. "Excuse the formalities. This _is_ a military training facility. Students are expected to behave in a more disciplined manner at times like these."

"O-okay," Sora managed to get out. This woman appeared a bit intimidating to him.

A hush went over the crowd.

"Sounds like it's about to begin," Aerith said, moving near the transparent glass. "Watch closely, Sora!"

Following her lead, Sora went to the window.

 **XXX**


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **XXX**

"As all of you will notice?" Instructor Trepe informed the group at large. "The combatants are standing in what is known as the 'Dead Zone'. An area reserved for one on one combat."

Looking down at the area, Sora thought 'Dead Zone' fitted perfectly. Unlike the rest of the Training Centre, the zone resembled nothing so much as a blank slate. It was little more than a large, stone, circular floor with a sheer drop surrounding it, save a single walkway that led to the rest of the training areas. A grey mist seemed to clog the air.

"All battles taking place in this arena are recorded and uploaded to the server for training purposes. They can be viewed from the library computers." The instructor continued.

"I'll show you where it is when this is over," Aerith promised. Sora nodded his head.

"The combatants are Lieutenants Tifa Lockhart on the left and Yuna Gainsborough on the right," Quistus went on.

"Gainsborough?" Sora murmured, turning to Aerith. "Isn't that-"

"Shhhh. We'll talk afterward," Aerith whispered.

"I like the one on the left!" A young man, around Sora's age with long blond hair and a mischievous expression on his face piped, so close to the glass he was leaving mist marks on the flawless surface.

"I dunno, I think the one on the right's pretty cute," a slim boy with short hair remarked from next to him.

"Silence!" Quistis barked, narrowing her eyes at the pair of them. Both quietened down under her stern glare.

Looking down at the combatants, Sora figured that the boys had a fair point as both of young ladies were very attractive.

The one Quistis had dubbed Tifa was scantily clad in a short, leather mini skirt with suspenders over a tight-fitting tank top that showed off her midriff. She had long dark hair and the largest breasts Sora had ever seen. She carried no visible weapon, which confused the young recruit.

The other one, Yuna wore a slightly more modest skirt that covered only one leg, paired with a frilly pink and white top. She was noticeably smaller than Tifa, with short brown hair. Unlike the former, she carried a small pair of pistols on her hips.

Without warning, the fight began. In the blink of an eye, Yuna's pistols were in her hands and she was firing a deadly stream of bullets at her opponent.

Tifa, for her part was moving as quickly. Bullets skipped off the stone floor moments after her feet left them, Sora was amazed that she was fast enough to dodge bullets.

Tifa circled away, gradually closing the distance, before dropping into a slide, her left foor sweeping the floor, aiming for Yuna's legs.

Yuna gave up her assault and leapt, flipping elegantly over the attacking leg, but she had lost the distance to effectively use her guns. She whipped her arm across, but Tifa's forearm caught it, deflecting the shot, and the next and the next.

Tiring of having her shots deflected, Yuna jumped into a spinning kick. Tifa dived into a roll as the kick soared harmlessly over her head. She recovered quickly and charged in. Sora almost heard her fist connect with Yuna's ribcage, before a second punch to the face sent the gunner flying away.

Amazingly Yuna got her feet back under her and began shooting back. Sora realised that the gunner had allowed herself to be hit in order to build the distance between them, his jaw dropped in awe at the skill of both fighters.

Tifa was doing well at dodging the bullets, but now Yuna was carefully shooting to the sides to prevent her from circling again. Suddenly Tifa thrust her right palm out and a glowing ball of blue energy shot forth, transforming into a large formation of ice crystals between the two fighters.

"Magic?" A young, blonde girl to Sora's right whispered in awe.

"Blizzard Materia," Quistis commented over the buzz of shocked whispers.

Back in the Training Centre, Yuna trained her next shot and the formation of ice crystals and with a well placed shot, shattered the structure. To the surprise of the other students, the martial artist was no where in sight.

To Yuna's right, Tifa exploded into motion. Rolling under Yuna's guard, she siezed the smaller woman around the waist and suplexed her into the hard stone floor in an explosion of flames.

"More magic?!" The blond headed youth commented.

"A well known technique of Lieutenant Lockhart's," Instructor Trepe replied. "She likes to call it Meteodrive."

"That's done it!" The other boy said.

Despite the distance, Sora could see the gunner's breath was coming in short, ragged gasps.

"Don't be so sure," Aerith said with a wink.

Sure enough, Yuna was soon engulfed in a soft, green glow. Within seconds she was back on her feet, her pistols trained on her opponent once more.

On the other side of the arena, Tifa raised her fists in an ready stance. Suddenly, both women dropped their aggressive stances and saluted at the observation deck.

"As you no doubt saw," Instructor Trepe addressed the students. "Both Lieutenants displayed the four main schools taught at Garden. Melee, Ranged, Black Magic and Combat Magic! The demonstration is at an end. Mentors, continue!"

Slowly the small gathering filtered out of the observation deck, causing a small backup at the elevator.

While awaiting their turn, Aerith turned to Sora with an expectant smile. "So...what do you think?"

"That was... _awesome_!" Sora said, almost punching the air. "I can't wait to get to do that!"

"Well, you've still got a long way to go before you reach that level," Aerith said. "But this way, you at least have an idea of what you'll be capable of when you're done with training."

"Can't wait!" Sora said with a wide grin, as the pair hopped into the elevator.

"Uhm...Aerith, why aren't we heading out?" Sora asked when Aerith made no move for the exit.

He received a wink from the pretty brunette. "I figured you have enough spunk to meet our two lovely combatants!" She said.

"Really!?" Sora's eyes were as large as saucers by this stage.

Aerith giggled. "Of course! Here they come!"

Sora could hardly contain his excitement as Tifa and Yuna walked through the electric doors, both of them padding dank hair with towels.

"Great fight you guys!" Aerith bounded over, grasping each of them in a hug.

"We do our best," Yuna said, affectionately tapping her pistols.

"I'd like you two to meet Sora, he's one of our newest recruits!" Aerith sad, gesturing to the boy, who was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Sora, this is Yuna and Tifa!"

"Pleased to meet you," Yuna replied.

"Welcome to Radiant Garden," Tifa added.

"Yuna and I are first cousins," Aerith explained. "You wouldn't know it if you met them, but our dads are brothers."

"I can totally see it!" Sora said, eyeing the pair's light brown hair and green eyes, although only one was green in Yuna's case. "You two were awesome!"

"I wish everybody was as enthusiastic as you are," Tifa said with a laugh. "The big guys are probably gonna tear our performance apart when the review it!"

"Like they could do any better," Yuna put in.

Sora scratched his head.

"We're always looking to improve," Aerith said for his benefit. "Garden trains some of the toughest fighters in the world, so we kind of have high standards!"

"I don't see how it could be any better!"

The three women shared a laugh.

"You'll learn soon enough," Yuna said before her merry expression turned into a frown.

"What is it," Aerith asked.

"Trouble," Tifa stated flatly, her eyes narrowing as she too caught sight of the approaching figures.

"Well, look who it is guys," a tall blond young man in a long white coat drawled to a dark muscular young man and a stern-looking woman with iron gray hair and an eyepatch. "Its fist-for-brains, summoner girl and staff chick!"

"Seifer," Yuna said through clenched teeth.

"A pleasure as always," Tifa said.

"We heard you two were putting on a fight for the newbies, ya know!" The other man said.

"TIME WASTED!" The woman added.

"Word gets out fast these days," Aerith said. "So what are you three doing here? Don't you have better things to do?"

The one called Seifer shrugged. "We just thought we'd come over and congratulate you. Afterall, it takes serious guts to fight in a controlled environment with medical help close on hand!"

Tifa's face had turned a vibrant pink, and it was obvious from her clenched fists that she wanted nothing more than to use them on this loud mouth.

"I bet they fight loads better than you!" Sora piped, rushing forward to face the trio without an ounce of fear.

"INSOLENCE!" The woman snarled.

"Well, looks like one of the newbies is here," Seifer said to his friends with a sardonic look. "And this one's got a pretty nasty mouth."

"Ain't nobody ever gonna be talking to Seifer that way, ya know?!" The dark man said.

"Ha! I bet I could take you on!" Sora shouted, ignoring the warning looks thhe three women were giving him.

"So, you're mouthier than the average recruit, huh?" Seifer asked, raising a thin blond eyebrow. "It won't take long for me to fix that!"

"Don't you lay a finger on him, Seifer!" Yuna said, her hands going for a guns, even as Aerith placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wow, Seifer!" Aerith drawled in a perfect imitation of Seifer's voice. "You must be real tough to beat on a kid half your size!"

"Especially with two friends to back you up!" Tifa said, catching Aerith's drift.

Their words seemed to have a profound impact on the young man. He leered down at Sora, who matched his glare with one of equal intensity. "Meh, the kid ain't even worth my time!" He scoffes, before turning on his heel and marching off.

"WATCH YOURSELF!" Eyepatch shouted, before following suit.

"You shouldn't be messin' with us, ya know? This isn't the last time you'll be hearing from the Disciplinary Committee, ya know!" Muscles added. The he too, walked off.

"Who the heck does he think he is?" Sora glared at their retreating backs. "Talking to you guys that way?!"

"That's Seifer," Aerith said, giving an exasperated sigh. "He had his two cronies with him too. Raijin is the one who looks like he's overdosed on steroids and Fujin is the girl."

"They're awful!" Yuna added. "The three of them make up Garden's Disciplinary Committee. They're supposed to just monitor student behaviour and see that rules are enforced. But they just use it as an excuse to bully people!"

"So why don't either of you show him who's boss?" Sora asked, looking at the two fighters. " I've seen what you both can do. I'm sure you guys could teach him a thing or two!"

"Because that's what Seifer wants!" Tifa explained. Her face still hadn't lost its pink tinge. "As much as I'd like to give him a good one to the face, Seifer thrives on getting a rise out of people. And as he _is_ head of the DM, hitting him would only give him an excuse to _discipline_ me."

"Gee, that could be a problem." Sora said, scratching his chin.

"I wouldn't worry too much about him though," Aerith interrupted brightly. "There's an exam coming up soon, odds are Seifer's gonna be too busy to bother you."

"You think he'll actually pass this time?" Yuna asked, giggling in spite of herself.

"Who knows?" Aerith shrugged. "He might actually surprise us! Anyways, we really got to get going! So we'll see you ladies around!"

"It was really nice meeting you!" Sora said.

"Likewise!" Tifa replied as Yuna waved cheerily.

 **XXX**

"Wow! This place is huge!" Sora exclaimed as they neared the dormitory. After leaving the Training Centre, Aerith had shown him the Cafeteria, Carport, Library as well as the Infirmary where she was based and introduced him to Chief Medic Kadowaki, followed by a tour of Garden's massive grounds and outside areas. The tour had completely taken up the afternoon and it was nearing midnight.

"You'll get used to it eventually," Aerith said as she lead him to the men's section and into another elevator. "Once you know where everything is, you won't have any trouble getting around."

"That's a relief," Sora repliedas Aerith pushed the button for the fifth floor.

"Your things have been sent ahead of you," Aerith told him. "First year recruits have to share a room but I doubt that will be a problem for you."

"It won't be," the cadet assured her. It was true, Sora never had a problem making new friends.

"That's one less thing I have to worry about," Aerith said, having taking a liking to the newest recruit. "Tomorrow will be your Introduction to Basic Training. We didn't really have time to cover the second floor, so all you have to do is take the elevator there by eight hundred hours tomorrow morning."

"Don't sweat it!" Sora replied, giving her a thumbs up.

Aerith had to laugh. "I hope you show the same enthusiasm in class tomorrow. Pop by the Infirmary and visit me if you have the time!" She offered, before pointing out a door that Sora assumed to be his dorm.

"Will do!" Sora said, taking a card Aerith handed him.

Aerith bid him goodnight before leaving, Sora immediately held up his cardkey to the scanner pad on the right side of the door.

A small _beep_ sounded and the door opened just a smidge.

Sora walked into the dorm, seeing the lights turnes off. He was in a small foyer with a round glass table to one side and two doorways. One door was closed with a faint snoring coming from behind it, obviously his roommate was sound asleep.

Sora shrugged, he guessed introductions would have to wait until morning. He let out a huge yawn, the day had been more taxing than he had thought. He walked through the remaining door and collapsed on the bed as soon as he found it, not even bothering to take a look at his surroundings as he drifted off into sleep.


End file.
